Blogournalism: Knee-Slapper

I don't think this is funny and not because I live in Brooklyn. I do appreciate it as a response to JoeScough (the idea of the iPad being the biggest media story of 2010 illustrates the distance some media figures have from important things - though I guess I am glad to hear that media figures' lives are changing).

I have some questions. Is Brian Williams jabbing just the NYT or media in general? Is he poking young culture's interpretation of capitalism? Did he have this written out before-hand? Why is JoeScough laughing so hard? Does Brian Williams think he can write a real piece of journalism about changes in the economy? Does his pronunciation of "borough" and "artisanal" reflect any form of classicism? When was the last time any of these people were not in a controlled climate? Are there hints of jealousy and insecurity in his longing to primitively sit and build a fire? Is it meta for him to sarcastically talk about people ironically wearing glasses? Why Marrakesh?

Merry Christmas

As many of you know I'm somewhat a sucker for the 90's. Now that it is almost 2011 it is time to reminisce, so decided to collect images and songs on a new Tumblr blog I started, THE LAST GREAT DECADE. This is your Christmas present, enjoy!

Return of the Lincoln: A Net Neutrality Parable

This is a PSA promoting net neutrality for the Writer's Guild. My job was to move the action figures ever so slightly while my buddy, Axel, would snap a pictures to later pull together creating "animation." Novel! I think it turned out pretty damn well. To see more of Axel's production work check out www.ag-bk.com.

Thank You Milton

A couple of months ago, I was talking with a colleague and friend of mine about the complexities of combining work and play; takin' your job home, bringin' your passions to work, etc. We began to talk about the Etsy Blog and she was telling me about a series called Saved from the Fire. She was personally unsure about what she would keep and we began to talk inversely about getting rid of things.

I've collected and gotten rid of many things since graduating high school. The majority of them have been clothes, media and various family heirlooms. She led on that she was thinking of starting her own series called Into the Great Beyond and asked if I'd like to participate.

After some thinking, I came to this.

Rich People Still Got It!

No Smoking

source

I tweeted and now my Tumbie huwts

READ ME

If you hadn't noticed, Tumblr has had some site outages. So I couldn't look at a blog for a day or two. I was pretty devastated. No nudie pics. No ironic messages. No waxing anything.

This is just why I posted the Chuck Klosterman article. I think there's something to be said for the type of expectations present in Ehrenberg's argument. Ok, so I understand that he's a VC that taps the blogging world as his podium. Good for him. However, this logic of "public" humiliation seems trivial, no? I'm referring to:

"I tell my Twitter followers and Facebook friends about the new post, and watch (and participate) in the conversation over the ensuing hours. Unfortunately, when people can’t read the post, it is hard to have a timely conversation about the post."

I think truly this type of situation exploits our perception of time & the expectations we're building regarding our individual voice. The immediacy of conversation and subsequent desire to garner a reaction is a very interesting possibility in today's world (with the technology we all have available to us). To me though, these types of posts are one in the same with any other posts, albethem(?) disguised as thoughtful perception pieces as opposed to bits of whining. There's a hidden devaluation in general. It's not really about an individual post, but rather an individual blog, wall, page, etc and it's ability to maintain a popular conversation. The frustration to remain timely on a micro level is a symptom of the macro environment of blogging.

"the President of the Company, in my Twitter stream, informed me that my musings about switching platforms in the wake of the outage was “reactionary.” Reactionary? Really? Is it reactionary if you are in an information vacuum for an entire day? Is it reactionary if your social contract is broken? I don’t think so."

It's interesting that Ehrenberg goes against the very nature of the thing that so inspires him to conceptualize text.

"I appreciated that my friend @bijan informed me that he, as a Board member, was involved and engaged in, problem resolution."

And here we truly see the separation between "church" and "state."

I Wanna Be Your Dog

I Wanna Be Your Dog from LEGS MEDIA on Vimeo.

Blogspective: Chuck On the Snowballing Weight of Technology

Great article from Chuck Klosterman in the NYT. Though I've never felt like I see eye to eye with Chuck (he's a bit older), I do deeply appreciate this perspective and metaphor.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/05/arts/television/05zombies.html

I was really intrigued by this phrase:

“It’s hard not to think ‘death drive’ every time I go on the Internet. Opening Safari is an actively destructive decision. I am asking that consciousness be taken away from me.” - Alice Gregory

It also kind of puts this soundtrack in my head:

Lucas and The Lovelys

Blogousand: Podium

Thousand times we've dragged ourselves to this here ... podium. This is a reject design from a project I was working on recently... The images are tile flooring taken at various NYC location via my cell phone camera. The podium is a sketch.

Sucking in the Seventies

Radio Man

This is a short film directed by my friend Tim who was a finalist in Frederick, Maryland's 2010 72 Film Fest. It won awards for best audience response, best costume, and best music. He included music from our upcoming Lucas & the Lovelys album.

Just Add Balls

A new photo blog by Amanda McCall.

The REAL Teen Wolf

Chuck Berry is incredible. The more I think about his role and impact in the American musical landscape... well, the more I wanna be him. The guy wrote songs for a few years, vastly influential songs, took them to the road and continues to reap the benefit of their legacy even to this day. His limitations and distinction only make me respect him more.

There were of course a few legal issues.

Recently, while searching for some John & Yoko vids of them hosting British TV shows, I found this performance. It's somewhat known that Lennon idolized Berry and considered him supremo RnR. You can see it in Lennon's demeanor during the interview. You can also see how completely ridiculous Yoko is on stage with them. She's always been a performance artist. Watch for the above screen-shotted "reaction" around the 1:15 mark of Chuck hearing Yoko's "performance art" in his song.



Also, the backing band looks like a group of beatnik, hippie muppets.

6-8 Billion Miracles? Plenty.

Curl up with that someone and go there (hide the scissors).

Found Along The Way/Plain Site

Home of the Vain

Stop and Go

yorkville

Never Sleep

He Said, He Said

On a recent morning, the journalist Bill Wyman received a UPS package containing a typed manuscript. On reading it, he saw that it seemed to be the thoughts, at some length, of singer Mick Jagger on the recently published autobiography of his longtime songwriting partner in the Rolling Stones, Keith Richards. A handwritten note on an old piece of Munro Sounds stationery read: "Bill: For the vault. M."

Hmmm, given that this is 2010 I'm somewhat skeptical that these are the the actual words and thoughts of Mick's reaction to Keef's new autobiography "Life." Nonetheless I found it an interesting read...

Mick Jagger Responds to Keith Richards About His New Autobiography

...I take the point that professionalism, one's word, rock 'n' roll merriment … these are fungible things in our world. It is a fair charge that I have become less tolerant in these matters over the decades. In our organization, inside this rather unusual floating circus we call home, I am forced into the role of martinet, the one who gets blamed for silly arbitrary rules. (Like, for a show in front of 60,000 people for which we are being paid some $6 or $7 million for a few hours' work, I like to suggest to everyone that we start on time, and that we each have in place a personal plan, in whatever way suits us best, to stay conscious for the duration of the show.)...

Here comes the rain again

It's Only Rock n' Roll, but I Like It

"...rock & roll at its core is merely a bunch of raving shit, its utterly hysterical transience and intrinsic worthlessness the not-quite-paradoxical source of its vitality."

~ Lester Bangs "The British Invasion" from The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock & Roll

Blogpathy

2010 Roney Classic Golf Champions

The Armpit Collection XXXV: "It's Night Time in the Big City...

...a metronome falls from a second story window... smoke fills the booth of a Mexican restaurant... a squatter eats Doritos from his chest... bobble-heads shake their faces at one another... it's Theme Time Radio Hour with your host Bob Dylan."

In 2006, Bob Dylan embarked on a journey that I found utterly fascinating. He hosted a themed radio program on XM radio.

Enjoy them.

Banksy Directs Simpsons Opening Sequence

Happy Birthday, John

Putting Banners In Plain Site

What the Rich Don’t Need

From the New York Times:

WANT to give affluent households a present worth $700 billion over the next decade? In a period of high unemployment and fiscal austerity, this idea may seem laughable. Amazingly, though, it is getting traction in Washington.

I am referring, of course, to the current debate about whether to extend all, or just some, of the tax cuts of President George W. Bush — cuts that are due to expire at year-end. They’re expiring because the only way they could be enacted initially was by pretending that they were temporary.

In this situation, it’s not clear what should be called a tax “cut.” If the temporary law is allowed to expire as planned, does that represent a return to normal, or a tax increase? Conversely, if some parts of the current rates are extended, should those count as a tax cut?

A History of Rap: Jimmy Fallon, Justin Timberlake & The Roots

I'm not a huge Jimmy Fallon fan, nor Justine Timberlake fan... but I must admit this is pretty entertaining. "Hip-hip-hop and you don't stop."

New Banner

Courtesy of J (and maybe iTunes helped a little)

20 Years Ago...

"20 years ago today - Sept 22nd 1990 - Nirvana played their biggest gig to date when they appeared at the Motor Sports International Garage in Seattle. Drummer Dave Grohl who would audition for the band in a few days time was in the audience of 15,000 people."

- whoever is running Nirvana's facebook page (of all places)

Cell Phone Pics

I rarely bust out ze old cell phone and start snapping away, but you know, here and there I snap 'round town. Just got a new phone, these are pics from my last two. PS - If you have Verizon, don't bother with the LG EnV Touch, it's a piece - lasted less than a year.

This deli-front sign was pointed out to me by J. The irony is that The Best Sandwich in Town looks like shit. Who asks for asparagus on a sub? That's fucking gross.

I know this is hard to see, but it's a picture from a flight home from Nevis a couple years ago. This woman is using her baby as a food tray, eating a chicken platter off her baby back.

Dirty Pop

Stand Clear of the Closing Doors, Please

the Dakota

Face on Fire

Ryan Williams look-a-like

Not only are you making the garbage man's day by leaving your toilet on the sidewalk, but then you have to go and fill it full of nastiness. It's a double negative sight to see.

Been Caught Stealing

This is a picture I took a few months ago at a grocery store on the Upper East Side. I enjoy the store's idea of swift justice - posting photos of thieves in plain site for all to gawk. Click photo to enlarge.

Gangsta Graphs

Why is Vincent Gallo in that video? More (much more) Gangsta Graphs here...

Green Space is a Vulnerable Thing

After visiting my friends in The Very Big City, I learned they knew little of the biggest natural appetite Down South has to offer. When she's done here, I'm sure she'll wander . . .

From Blue Ridge Outdoors, a regional rag:

Need another reason to hate kudzu, the green leafy vine that is pervasive throughout the South? How about this: a recent study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that kudzu is a contributor to surface ozone pollution. The invasive plant, which was introduced in the U.S. in the late 1800s for erosion control, emits high levels of isoprene and nitric oxide which combine with the nitrogen in the air to form ozone. The study, which was conducted by researchers at the University of Virginia, showed the presence of kudzu can double the level of nitrogen oxide emissions from soil. Rampant expansion of kudzu could even increase the number of high ozone alert days in a given year.

Kudzu now occupies more than 7.4 million acres in the U.S., expanding at 120,000 acres annually. Kudzu vines have been known to grow up to a foot a day.

But don’t think kudzu is all bad. Some Southern families have used kudzu as a food source for decades, cooking up fried kudzu leaves, kudzu quiche, steamed kudzu…And some entrepreneurs have been trying to turn kudzu into a biofuel cash crop as well. A study published two years ago in the journal Biomass and Bioenergy claimed an acre of kudzu could yield about 270 gallons of ethanol, comparable to the 210 to 320 gallons per acre that corn yields.

While using kudzu as a biofuel is promising because it requires no water or fertilization, harvesting the weed for fuel has proved difficult and costly, as the roots sometimes grow six feet deep beneath steep slopes. But getting rid of kudzu has always been a challenge. The U.S. Forest Service has researched kudzu management and removal for decades. So far, the best form of kudzu eradication that researchers have uncovered, is goats.

Numbers:

2,500 — The number of years kudzu has been used in traditional Chinese medicine, primarily as a treatment for hangovers

60 — Length in feet that a single kudzu vine can grow in one warm season, roughly one foot per day

400 — Weight in pounds of a kudzu root

30 — Number of vines that can grow from a single root

In other Southern news:

This hometown hero also sports quite the appetite, though hardly the tact to stomach it.

Where Were You When the Iraq War Started?

From Wikipedia:

Shock and awe, technically known as rapid dominance, is a military doctrine based on the use of overwhelming power, dominant battlefield awareness, dominant maneuvers, and spectacular displays of force to paralyze an adversary's perception of the battlefield and destroy its will to fight.

Can you believe the Iraq War began combat in March 2003? Doesn't that seem like forever ago? I remember watching CNN from Tokyo, Japan when "Shock and Awe" was in shocking display. I was on spring break of my junior year of college, shocked myself that we were actually bombing Baghdad.

Tonight President Obama declared the combat missions in Iraq over - without really declaring victory or "mission accomplished."

The Treehouse

I helped produce this short comedy skit with some hilarious pals of mine, Paul and Lucia. One day they're going to be big stars!

Shit, I tried to embed the video, but it's too wide... Here's the linkage...

Blogvestments: Long Live Preppies

Domestic Manufacturing and sexy ads. Appears American Apparel missed one too many Investment club meetings.

Read about it here.

"Hipsters are from a certain time period. The stereotype of a hipster is not something people aspire to anymore. Do you want to be a hipster? Nobody wants to be a hipster," says CEO Dov Charney to the Village Voice.

Blognology: the Interwebs Competition

There's an interesting concept in the world of Internet usage called "net neutrality," which basically means no restrictions be placed on the ability for one to be able to access and use the Internet (by an Internet Provider). This may change with two giant companies plotting to dictate your ability to access the internet. Ironically, this stems from (1) an inability for someone to govern this freedom and (2) advertising models.

Some NYT articles about it:

2010/08/05/
2010/08/10/
2010/08/12/
2010/08/14/

A joint blog post about it:

JointPolicyProposalforanOpenInternet

The Armpit Collection XXXIV: Black, Saint, Sinner

Charles Mingus is relentless in what he does. His music contains a ferocity and intensity that is unmatched. Nowhere have I been more attracted to stoking chaos in the midst of intellectual forms. The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady is his most accomplished work. And you can also enjoy him here.

1. Track A - Solo Dancer (6:20)
Stop! Look! And Listen, Sinner Jim Whitney!

2. Track B - Duet Solo Dancers (6:25)
Hearts' Beat and Shades in Physical Embraces

3. Track C - Group Dancers (7:00)
(Soul Fusion) Freewoman and Oh, This Freedom's Slave Cries

4. Mode D - Trio and Group Dancers (17:52)
Stop! Look! And Sing Songs of Revolutions!

Mode E - Single Solos and Group Dance
Saint and Sinner Join in Merriment on Battle Front

Mode F - Group and Solo Dance
Of Love, Pain, and Passioned Revolt, then Farewell, My Beloved, 'til It's Freedom Day

Taken from the extensive liner notes:

"Last and least is me. Mingus. I wrote the music for dancing and listening." - Charles Mingus

"To me this particular composition contains Mr. Mingus' personal and also a social message. He feels intensively. He tries to tell people he is in great pain and anguish because he loves. He cannot accept that he is alone, all by himself; he wants to love and be loved. His music is a call for acceptance, respect, love, understanding, fellowship, freedom - a plea to change the evil in man and to end hatred. The titles of this composition suggest the plight of the black man and a plea to the white man to be aware. " - Doctor Pollock (his psychologist)

Two Albums Bought Yesterday

Arcade Fire "The Suburbs"

The Black Crowes "Croweology"

Ryan Xilliams

"...a continuing series of unflattering photographs of myself."

My good friend and yours, Ryan Williams, takes us through his weird, wondrous, and wild (not to mention highly amusing) online observations in his blog, Ryan Xilliams. A decent part of his full-time job is trolling around the 'net in search of bizarreness, so it only makes sense for him to have an electronic dumping ground to share his found treasure. Enjoy!

On a side note, Ryan's improv comedy team, DREAMBOAT!, recently went toe to toe and defeated 23 other teams in the 2010 Del Close Marathon Indie Team Cagematch Tournament! Ayyy-Ohhh!

Bootleg Series Vol. IX

I almost forgot. After watching Paul McCartney's performance last night on PBS, a performance in conjunction with receiving the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, I was trying to find out who else had received the award (which was disappointing). And by the way, according to a certain black man, Paul McCartney is the most successful songwriter of all-time. I was impressed with that, though there was an obvious period of co-authorship. This begs the question, who is the most successful solo songwriter of all time... which brings me to...

So I went to Dylan's wiki to see what awards he'd won (a Pulitzer special citation) and it just so happens that a new Bootleg Series was announced, just yesterday. (Scarily buried in my subconscious, no?)

Here's the story.

Track listing looks pretty awesome. I'm assuming these are alternate takes or demos.

When will we get a Bootleg Series version of BOTT? 'Til then, I'll settle for NAC001.

Inception

Since I was rather "blah" on the movie, I'll comment on the music. Kinda funny that Maria Cottilliardwhatever was in the movie and they used an Edith Piaf song as part of the plot.

GWAR - I Am Not A Fucking Amateur

"I've been in Texas for a while now, and WHERE IS ALL THE CRYSTAL METH?" Pretty funny seeing GWAR at a Mexican restaurant...

I Have Dreams Like This

Here in Asheville . . .

. . . it's July — and every July we host a three day arts and music festival occupying downtown. It's called Bele Chere and people hate it. Businesses close while the rest of Western North Carolina vomits on their door step. The crowd is loud, smelly, and slimy — boobs (of both breeds) are everywhere. Tax payers foot the bill for "kick-ass" southern rock bands, some are even "country fried." But the worst part? The Dialogue. Year in, year out, its the same milky display of sideshow rage. It steals revenue. Damns gays. Distracts police. I hate fat people. The yuppies go to West Asheville (for the first time) and every restaurant dumbs down their food (but marks it up). Yet amidst all the goof and glory, the fine folks at Mountain Xpress insist on embracing it — and do, in flying — sometimes existential — colors. My (other) buddy Jaye reports.

Double Rainbow!

Top Quotes From My Bachelor Party in the Bahamas

1. Dude, did you take my shorts?
   

2. Can I borrow a pair of underwear?
   

3. Sir, you've had your fun now get off the speaker before you hurt yourself.
   

4. Four fingers of whiskey, please.
   

5. Long hair don' care!
   

6. Gimme them nipples!
   

7. Where's Beecher?
   

8. I've never kissed a white boy before
   

9. I'm 17
   

10. Get Sexy like a Pepsi
    

11. The Big Bamboo is long and hard
    

12. Gaycation!
    

13. The nipple buffet is now open.

Breakfast Meats

It's rare that a weekend will go by where Emily and I don't fry up some bacon. Sometimes we make breakfast sandwiches (a very fine art), sometimes the bacon is a side to some pancakes, and sometimes the bacon is just awesome by itself. We've also saved the "drippings" on account of my New Mexican cook book, which calls for many things to be "browned" in bacon drippings.

I'm quite fond of breakfast meats, like bacon & sausage. However, one must tread cautiously; any bacon that boasts itself as microwaveable should never be consumed. Also, none of this Turkacon. Bacon should be thick, a little fatty and be cooked with both crispy and not-so-crispy elements. Sausage is a switch hitter though, tasty in both link and pattie forms (and otherworldly when added to gravy). Not only are bacon & sausage delicious, but they serve as a great alternative sopper if you don't have a biscuit, toast or some other more traditional sopping side.

What other breakfast meats are there?

For one, there's the mysterious & legendary loaf called Scrapple.



There's also this guy, which can be tasty when it's fried a little and eaten with over-easy eggs.



Of course you can't forget this heart stopper.



And an also very course-versatile meat, eaten alone, on biscuits, or soaked in egg yolk...the forever salty country ham.



UPDATE: I forgot two major players...

S.O.S. as we referred to it, shit on a shingle, ala cream chipped beef.



And... the mighty, mighty, Corn Beef Haaaaaaaaaaaaa....sh.